Le prostitute vi precederanno. Inchiesta sul sesso a pagamento

Abstract

Is prostitution the oldest profession in the world? Perhaps. Yet it performs social functions and takes on ever-changing meanings depending on the historical period in which it occurs. Through the autobiographical style narrative of an ethnographic research lasting more than ten years-the first of its kind in Italy-the world of prostitution is described and analyzed in an attempt to understand the point of view of its protagonists, trying to see the world through their eyes. In this long journey (conducted mainly in Italy, but with parentheses of a few months in Colombia and the United States) some commonplaces are debunked, trends and main characteristics are highlighted, and female prostitution is compared with male prostitution. The picture that emerges is that of a complex and varied phenomenon that is rapidly transforming and adapting to the needs of the market, becoming a privileged magnifying glass for understanding today's transformations in the relationship between men and women.